Iranian students grab 10 medals in astronomy Olympiad

Iranian students have swept 10 medals at the 6th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in Latin American country of Brazil.
According to a statement issued by the Information Center of Iran’s Education Ministry, Iranian team was honored with one gold, four silver and five bronze medals at this year’s competition, IRNA reports.
About 134 students dispatched from 27 countries participated in the 2012 edition of this international contest. From among the participated countries, only Iran and Brazil were allowed to have two teams in the competition.
Iran has demonstrated a remarkable growth in science and technology over the past decade, boosting its science and technology output by five folds from 2000 to 2008. Most of this growth has been in engineering and chemistry, producing 1.4% of the world's total output within the eight-year period.
According to the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Iran increased its academic publishing output by nearly ten folds from 1996 to 2004.
The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) is an annual event in which high school students from around the world solve theoretical, analytical and observational problems in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.
The 6th IOAA was held in the state of Rio de Janeiro from August 4 to 14, 2012.
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